Several
health risks are attributed to ozone exposure. These include aggravated asthma,
coughing, inflamed breathing passages and increased vulnerability to
respiratory infections.

Now,
Houstonians have a new tool to help determine air quality in their communities
and throughout the greater metropolitan area. “OzoneMap” is a free smart phone
and tablet app (for both Apple and Android products) that delivers real-time
air quality reports.

The
app is made possible through a partnership between the University of Houston,
Air Alliance Houston and the American Lung Association. It is among the clean
air initiatives sponsored by a three-year $450,000 grant from Houston Endowment
and builds on the partnership’s previous project HoustonCleanAirNetwork.com, a
website delivering real-time ozone updates. UH computer science students under
the supervision of professor Ioannis Pavlidis developed “OzoneMap” to make that
site’s information available on a mobile platform.

“OzoneMap” will be showcased during a Houston
Ozone Action Day event at 12:30 p.m., March 22 at Spring Branch Community
Health Center (1615 Hillendahl, Ste. 100). Representatives from the partnering
institutions will be in attendance including Dan Price, professor in UH’s
Honors College and philosophy department, and Barry Lefer, associate chair UH’s
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Members of the community are
invited to learn more about “OzoneMap.”

“The
app allows users to see whether ozone has reached dangerous levels in
their respective neighborhoods, or if the clouds have already passed,” Price
said. “It will be particularly helpful for parents or educators who are
concerned with children’s health and for those with ozone sensitivity.”

“OzoneMap”
features a map of the greater Houston area. Colored clouds illustrate ozone
levels in different parts of the city. Conditions range from good (white) to
hazardous (purple). The app’s users can select from three different maps –
standard, satellite or hybrid – and can
access information on the health effects of ozone.

“The
purpose of this app is to better serve the public health needs of Houstonians,”
Price said. “An app is a convenient platform for this kind of tool. Almost
everyone has mobile phones or tablets, so it’s easy to find out whether an
ozone cloud is forming in your community or perhaps another part of town where
you might be headed.”

Both
the site and app will prove helpful when planning outdoor activities, Price
said. Individuals with respiratory conditions can access ozone reports to avoid
exposure to ground-level ozone. Also, parents, teachers or coaches can
determine whether conditions are appropriate for recess or sporting events.

“There
has been research that suggests that heart attacks are more likely during days
with high ozone and that ozone is a trigger for asthma,” Price said.

Houston
is particularly ripe for ozone considering the number of vehicles, chemical
plants and oil refineries that generate noxious emissions,” Lefer added.

“There
are 30 – 40 days each year in which dangerous levels of ozone are somewhere in
the Houston area,” Lefer said. “There are even more days in which the city is
under an air quality alert. Residents, however, become desensitized to these
facts. This app helps people become more informed about their environment and
will allow them to make smart, healthy decisions before venturing outdoors.”

OzoneMap
is now available for Android devices through Google Play and for Apple products through the
Apple App Store.

###

About the University of
Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research
university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best
colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive
Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential
learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s
fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,700 students in the most ethnically
and culturally diverse region in the country.